The successful candidates for the 2018 Civil Service Examination were recently announced on the last day of September. Kim Geon-hui (Department of Economics and Finance, 1st year) successfully passed the examination, applying for the serial group of financial administration. Having started to prepare for the exam since early February of 2016, Kim says that he still feels bewildered by the result and happy that all the members of his study group have managed to pass this year’s exam.

Entering Hanyang University in 2015, Kim mentioned how he became interested in the field of policy planning while taking his major courses. “Although becoming a professional in a particular field or major did seem interesting, it was planning policies and developing a synthetic perspective that got me more captivated,” explained Kim. Based upon his newly formed interests, Kim took time off from school after his first quarter and moved in to Sillim-dong Gosichon, where most of its residents are students preparing for various exams.

Kim's preparation and advice

Failing the first examination of 2017, Kim changed his daily schedule to studying eleven hours, starting from seven in the morning to eleven in the night. During the three-cycle period, which refers to the time period between the first and second exam, Kim slightly changed his time schedule of starting in nine in the morning due to emaciation. Kim also mentioned how joining the study group within the Sillim-dong Gosichon also greatly helped him with not only preparing for the overall exam, but also with sharing information and providing support towards each other.

According to Kim, the Civil Service Examination is mainly divided into three stages. The first stage is the Public Service Aptitude Test (PSAT), which is once again divided into four parts: Linguistic Logic, Data Interpretation, Situational Judgement, and Constitutional Law. As for the Linguistic Logic and Data Interpretation section, Kim mentioned the importance of time management and how one must quickly distinguish the questions that should be abandoned in order to focus on the remaining questions.

As for the Situational Judgement part, Kim stressed an emphasis upon the quizzes, and how finding the twists in sample questions from previous exams helped his preparation. On the Constitutional Law area, Kim shared his advice: "I was surprised this year due to the fact that provisions of the constitution were questioned rather than judicial precedents. For those who are preparing for the exam, I recommend you put less emphasis upon studying judicial precedents but focus upon the provisions also."

Kim Geon-hui (Department of Economics and Finance, 1st year) explained that self-control is an important factor during the preparation process as the Civil Service Examination requires continuous effort.

Kim used the term ‘real-game’ when referring to the second stage of the exam, which took place in June. Applying for the serial group of financial administration, Kim took the following exams of Economics, Finance, Administrative Law, Administration, and Statistics. Instead of writing in a beautiful manner, Kim says that he focused on writing answers roughly, but accurately. Out of the exams stated above, it is the Administration part that most examinees, including Kim, find most challenging. As for Kim, he explained that he prepared for the exam by trying to list short-answers as in a thesis and sharing answer sheets with other members within the group study.

The third and last stage of the exam is the interview, which consisted of group discussions, individual presentations, and personality interviews. According to Kim, giving a relaxed and soft impression to the interviewers is important. He also added that providing ingenious and inventive ideas during group discussions and individual presentations would also give a positive impression. For this reason, Kim gave an emphasis on the need of utilizing one’s own original strengths during the preparation of the interview stage.

Overcoming Hardships

When asked about hardships during the preparation process, Kim recalled his memories of failing on the second stage of the 2017 Civil Service Examination. "The fact that I could not tell my parents that I will definitely pass the next year was what made me even more troubled. Having no guarantee that I will eventually pass the exam is what I think most examinees, including myself, find most challenging while preparing for the examination."

Kim also recalled the time when he changed his serial group from General Administration to Financial Administration. He changed his serial group with the belief that he was better suited for the economic and financial area, yet the thought that he might regret this decision was also another hardship that he had to overcome. As changing his or her serial group was a rare case, Kim had trouble seeking advice on this matter. Having the thought that it is only himself who can overcome his own hardships that Kim studied even harder in order to defeat his uncertainties.

Kim mentioned how he is planning to have various experiences and have some time to look back upon himself before turning into office.

Nonetheless, without the steady support from his parents, friends, and fellow members of the studying group, who also prepared for the exam and went through similar hardships, Kim says that he would not have made it through the whole process. As for future plans, Kim mentioned that he is planning to have diverse experiences. “While preparing for the interview, I felt that I still had a lot to learn, as I have focused upon only studying from an early age. For this reason, I want to experience various fields and also have some time to look back upon myself,” explained Kim.